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Dilemma for Liverpool as key star reveals his wage demands to sign a new contract
Mohamed Salah in action for Liverpool. (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)

Mohamed Salah will be out of contract at the end of the season and Liverpool are hoping to tie him down to a new long-term deal. 

According to Fichajes, Liverpool are hoping to offer him a contract worth around €18 million per season, but the player is holding out for wages of €25 million per season. He wants the new contract to reflect his importance to the club’s project.

Salah has been exceptional for Liverpool since joining the club and he continues to impress every week. The Egyptian has 26 goal contributions this season and he has helped Liverpool climb to the top of the league table. Liverpool have done well in the UEFA Champions League as well, and they are currently on top of the standings in the European competition.

It will be interesting to see if they can win a major trophy this season. Salah will be instrumental to their success, and they must look to keep him at the club for as long as possible. Losing someone of his quality on a free transfer would be a devastating blow, and it is no surprise that Liverpool are looking to tie him down to a new deal.

It will be interesting to see if they are willing to relax their wage policy to get the deal done.

Will Liverpool accept Mo Salah’s demands?

The report from Fichajes claims that Liverpool are now in a dilemma and it remains to be seen how the situation unfolds.

Despite being 32, the Egyptian remains a world-class player and he has the fitness to compete at the highest level in the upcoming seasons as well. Even if Liverpool have to offer him a substantial amount of money, the investment could be worth it. 

Replacing a player of his quality could prove to be extremely difficult for Liverpool, and they might need to bring in multiple signings to fill his void. Salah is more than just a goal scorer for Liverpool and he is an elite creator as well.

This article first appeared on Caught Offside and was syndicated with permission.

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Lionel Messi Injury Update- Training Ground Footage Raises Questions Ahead of Inter Miami vs LA Galaxy
Soccer

Lionel Messi Injury Update- Training Ground Footage Raises Questions Ahead of Inter Miami vs LA Galaxy

Lionel Messi’s fitness is under the microscope these days as Inter Miami prepares to face LA Galaxy on Saturday, August 16, 2025 at Chase Stadium. After missing the MLS All-Star Game and then sitting out the previous match with a minor right-leg muscle injury, fans are itching to see him back on the pitch. Messi has been Miami’s main man up front this season with 18 goals in 18 appearances (and nine assists) and will be crucial in a game that could have a big impact on the team’s playoff position. Adding to the discussion about his readiness, a recent video showing Messi during an Inter Miami training session has raised eyebrows. Lionel Messi’s Status ahead of LA Galaxy match In a recent Instagram clip from journalist José Armando shows Messi getting some help on his left foot during the latest Inter Miami training. It was brief and the Argentinian superstar was back to full training afterwards, so no major issue. This, on top of the minor right-leg muscle injury he picked up in the Leagues Cup game against Necaxa. Despite the short training clip raising some questions, it does look like the left foot assistance was precautionary. Manager Javier Mascherano is being careful with Messi’s minutes to make sure he’s ready for the Galaxy game. Analysts say his presence will be key in a tactical battle given he can create chances, control the tempo and score big goals. If Messi trains without restrictions, expect him to play this Saturday, his first game since the All-Star Game and the injury. Inter Miami will be counting on their star to lead the line, make plays and potentially win the game for them in this big MLS match.

Vikings joint practice recap, Day 1: How'd J.J. McCarthy fare vs. Patriots?
NFL

Vikings joint practice recap, Day 1: How'd J.J. McCarthy fare vs. Patriots?

The Vikings and Patriots just held their first of two joint training camp practices on a beautiful afternoon at TCO Performance Center. Fans packed the stands to watch as the Vikings got an opportunity to test themselves against a different opponent in a practice setting after weeks of battling each other. Let's dive into what took place on Wednesday, starting with the obvious question. How'd J.J. look? J.J. McCarthy, coming off of one 12-snap drive in Minnesota's preseason opener on Saturday (and a normal, lighter practice on Monday), got a ton of reps against the Patriots' defense in this joint practice. That'll be the case again on Thursday. These two days are designed to provide some highly-valuable work for the Vikings' starters, who aren't going to play at all in this weekend's preseason game. McCarthy came out of the gates strong in 7-on-7 action. He completed his first three passes, all to Jordan Addison, including a great throw with touch on an out-breaking route towards the sideline. He also fired a ball into a tight window to Jeshaun Jones. McCarthy started 6 for 6, by my count. It wasn't all perfect, though. He threw a decent ball to Addison that wasn't quite hauled in through good coverage by the Patriots corner. And McCarthy's final throw of the period was one he'd like to have back. He tried to hit Jalen Nailor on an in-breaking route but sailed it way over his head for an interception by Marcus Jones. One thing we've seen from McCarthy is that when he misses, he tends to miss high — and that's dangerous in the NFL. He's continuing to work on his accuracy on certain throws, especially ones that require layering and touch. That was the only interception McCarthy threw on the day. For the most part, he threw the ball well, and his connection with his top two healthy targets was on full display. He and Addison connected numerous times, often on in-breaking intermediate routes. They nearly connected on a deep ball later in the practice, but Patriots safety Jabrill Peppers was able to break it up at the last moment. McCarthy also found tight end T.J. Hockenson frequently on short and intermediate routes. Those two have developed a strong rapport. As has been the case throughout training camp, McCarthy was up and down. There was one move-the-ball period that didn't go particularly well. His first throw was a bit high for Hockenson, although his TE was able to catch it. He then was "sacked" on consecutive plays — and it's always hard to tell from watching live if the blame falls on McCarthy, someone on the O-line, or his targets not creating separation. On 3rd and very long, he was pressured again and could only check it down to Jordan Mason for a short juggling catch. Later, McCarthy lost the ball on a snap exchange with Ryan Kelly. 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There's a lot of good, but there are plenty of teaching moments as well. I imagine things will continue to be up and down for McCarthy early in the regular season, with the Vikings looking to lean on the run game, short passes, and play-action passing to try to get him in rhythm. Despite the expected inconsistency, there's a ton to like about his potential both this season and in the long term. Thursday, which will feature a good bit of red zone work, will be another big day for McCarthy. Vikings' defense vs. Maye My vantage point for Wednesday's practice was close to the Vikings' offense going against the Patriots' defense, so that was what I watched more intently. But from what I saw — and heard from others who were closer to the far field — the Vikings' defense had a decent day. They were getting lots of pressure on Drake Maye, with Jonathan Greenard feasting on rookie left tackle Will Campbell and the interior guys making life tough on former Vikings center Garrett Bradbury. When the pressure didn't get home, though, Maye looked good. New England's second-year QB has a heck of an arm, which he showed throughout 1-on-1s and into the team periods. Another former Viking, Stefon Diggs, made his presence felt during practice. There were a couple coverage busts from the Vikings' first-team defense that led to long touchdowns for the Patriots. On one, Mack Hollins got wide open and proceeded to punt the ball into the stands after scoring. On another, rookie running back TreVeyon Henderson leaked up the left sideline past Ivan Pace Jr. and caught a Maye pass for a 70-yard TD. Other notes Not participating for the Vikings were Justin Jefferson, Andrew Van Ginkel, Harrison Smith, C.J. Ham, and Levi Drake Rodriguez. Christian Darrisaw did some live work with the first-team offense before giving way to Justin Skule. The biggest highlight of the entire day for the Vikings came from rookie guard Donovan Jackson. The Vikings dialed up a screen pass to Aaron Jones at the perfect time, taking advantage of a Patriots blitz. With tons of green grass in front of him, Jones moved upfield but didn't go into a full sprint, in order to let Jackson and Will Fries get out in front of him. Jackson, after hitting Milton Williams at the line of scrimmage, sent Patriots safety Jaylinn Hawkins flying to the ground and then knocked over Peppers for good measure. The Vikings' first-round pick pushed three separate defenders to the ground on a play that resulted in a gain of around 60 yards. Jackson's teammates and the fans in the stands went wild. The Vikings' second-team defense had a pair of pick-sixes off of former Minnesota QB Josh Dobbs, who is now the Patriots' backup. Dwight McGlothern got the first one, adding to his array of interceptions over the course of camp. The second-year corner is simply a ball magnet. Later on, safety Jay Ward jumped a route and got another one off of Dobbs, then proceeded to punt the ball in celebration (perhaps in response to Hollins' earlier punt). We didn't see a ton of reps from the Vikings' backup QBs, which is by design since they're going to play a lot in Saturday's preseason game. But all three looked solid in small samples. Sam Howell was accurate underneath, connecting with guys like Tai Felton and Thayer Thomas. The second-team offense was unsuccessful in their crack at the 1-minute drill, though. Brett Rypien also had a few completions, and for the second straight practice, rookie Max Brosmer connected with Tim Jones on a beautiful deep ball that drew plenty of cheers. Fighting can sometimes be a problem in joint practices around the NFL, but Kevin O'Connell and Mike Vrabel made it very clear that they didn't want the competitiveness to cross a line and impede the productivity of their work. There were no real skirmishes on Wednesday. The closest we got was when Patriots WR Javon Baker and Vikings DB Kahlef Hailassie got very chippy during a 1-on-1 special teams drill. This was the most we've gotten to see from the Vikings' punter competition throughout training camp. Ryan Wright had a couple bad punts during his opportunities, and I thought undrafted rookie Oscar Chapman clearly had the better day of the two. He might have a legit chance to win that job. Holding will also matter, but at least in this practice, neither punter had an issue. They split the holds as Reichard went 4 for 4 from 33, 44, 48, and 53 yards to end the day. More Vikings coverage

Acuña Return Imminent, Braves Deliver More Bad Riley News
MLB

Acuña Return Imminent, Braves Deliver More Bad Riley News

Ronald Acuña Jr. is closing in on his return to the Atlanta Braves lineup. Manager Brian Snitker siad via MLB.com's Mark Bowman that the All-Star outfielder is expected to be activated in the next couple of days. However, all news wasn't on the positive side for the team. Third baseman Austin Riley still felt discomfort when he was throwing on Tuesday. It's unlikley he'll be activated this week. The bright side of the Riley update is that it's more a when he will return instead of an if. Acuña has been out with a grade 1 calf strain since the last week of July. It initially looked like it might be an achillies injury, but further evaluation of the ailment revealed a better-case scenario. He's looked like he's been at least pain free for the most part for some time. He's been seen before games taking at-bats and field balls in the field. Last week, we was also seen doing running drills. The Braves have been wise to work him back slowly as he works different parts of his game. Even with the playoff picture long gone, it's always good to get a key bat back in the lineup and have him healthy into the offseason. Acuña can have normal workouts and be ready to participate in Spring Training this time around. In 55 games, Acuña is batting .306 with a 1.005 OPS, a 2.6 WAR, a 180 OPS+, 14 home runs and 26 RBIs. Riley is still dealing with the adomen injury that has gotten him placed on the injured list twice this season. Shortly after his return, he re-aggravated the injury on a diving play during the MLB Speedway Classic. Both times when hr hurt his abs, it came on a play in the infield. What should have been celebrated as one of the highlights of the game just added more frustration to this season. They're going to have to patient and wait to see if the pain lessons as he works out. Like Acuña, it's good to get him back before the end of the season regardless of how it's going. In Riley's case, it would be great simply because he didn't return after his injury last season. That being said, because of how this season is going, the Braves can take their time and make sure Riley is good to go as opposed to rushing him back out there. In 102 games, Riley is batting .260 with a .737 OPS, a 1.4 WAR, a 105 OPS+, 16 home runs and 54 RBIs. More From Atlanta Braves on SI

Perhaps Superman Paul Skenes has found his kryptonite
MLB

Perhaps Superman Paul Skenes has found his kryptonite

Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes may continue to be one of the top contenders for the National League Cy Young Award, but there is one place where he has appeared mortal this season. On Tuesday night, the Milwaukee Brewers did to Skenes what they have done to plenty of MLB pitchers in 2025 ... put up big offensive numbers. For the second time this season (Skenes also pitched in Milwaukee on June 25), the Brewers forced him from the game after just 4.0 innings on Tuesday night, logging six hits and four runs during his time on the mound. Both of those performances came at Milwaukee's home stadium (American Family Field) and both are now Skenes' shortest outings of the season. While another NL Central team has put up more runs against Skenes this season (the St. Louis Cardinals nicked him for five runs in 6.0 innings on April 8), no other team has had the same kind of success over multiple starts by Skenes in 2025 as have the Brewers inside their home stadium. In all this season, Skenes has given up 10 hits and eight runs in 8.0 innings in Milwaukee. It was his third career outing on the road against the Brewers, with his lone 2024 start representing arguably the best outing of his rookie season. On July 11, 2024, Skenes struck out 11 and didn't allow a hit over 7.0 innings as the Pirates would eventually post a 1-0 victory. Tuesday's short outing was highlighted by a pair of Milwaukee home runs, including a leadoff solo shot by Sal Frelick that quickly set the tone for the Brewers. While Milwaukee's hit parade helped raise Skenes' ERA on the season to 2.13, it's hardly any reason for concern in a season where the 23-year-old right-hander is still a heavy favorite (-600) to win the NL Cy Young Award, per BetMGM. Skenes struggling in Milwaukee is likely more yet another stamp of approval on the Brewers' potential to be a threat once the postseason arrives. With an 18-4 record since the All-Star break entering Tuesday, Milwaukee has taken over the NL Central race from the Chicago Cubs. So what's the good news for Skenes? This is Pittsburgh's last trip to Milwaukee this season and the next-to-last series for the Pirates against the red-hot Brewers. Milwaukee will visit PNC Park for a three-game series on Sept. 5-7, and if Skenes gets a chance for revenge against Milwaukee, there couldn't be a better place for him to take the mound. This season, in 11 starts covering 68.2 innings, Skenes has a 1.70 ERA in the Steel City.

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